A Snow Bunny's Love
by Cerulean Waters
Summary: AU 1x2 get-together, The G-boys are expert snowboarders and skiers. Only...Heero is not such an expert. When he runs into Duo, literally, will love spark up? Or are they destined to become rivals in both technique and speed? (ignore the title, it just see
1. Meeting the boys

Disclaimer: (sniffling a bit) ok, I don't own GW or the boys. (perks up) I do however, have an immense load of really cool earrings from my birthday presents. If you want them, you could sue me for…uh……having really cool earrings…?

Well, I recently realized that there are very few, if any, skiing/snowboarding fics in the fandom. It could be that only weird Americans like me snowboard, and forgive me, I'm rather uneducated when it comes to other countries, but I think that a lot of people ski. This story is my attempt to remedy the lack of stories, if you know of some other fic on that topic, TELL ME.

This first chapter is dedicated to lil devil 2004 for giving me enough encouragement to continue writing.

Pairings: This will be an AU 1x2 get-together with maybe a smidgeon of 3x4 on the side.

oOoOo

By Cerulean Waters

Heero snarled at his boots in frustration, why did he need ski boots anyway? Couldn't they just strap those abominable plastic strips directly to his feet? Now Heero was smart enough to realize that this wouldn't really work, but at the moment it seemed a much simpler solution than forcing the molded creations over his feet.

Somehow Trowa had convinced him that a winter spent in Colorado skiing would be fun. So they had found a nice place, not too big but with different levels of terrain, called Copper Mountain to stay at. His 'so-called' friend was already an experienced skier, and while Heero was convinced that he would pick it up easily, he began to have doubts.

He shoved the sweaty, chocolate colored hair off of his forehead, geez, it was getting hot in here with all of his snow gear on.

"Coming?" Trowa, an unusually quiet young man, was obviously getting impatient with the other's rather slow efforts. He was beginning to regret bringing him out here and the day had barely started.

"I'm ready."

And with the ski boots finally in their place, he was indeed. Trowa finished putting on his cap, tucking his bangs inside so that his emerald eyes were uncovered, and they left the condominium building where they were staying. The first stop was the bunny hill. (A/N: Heero's not so good at skiing, that's why they're at the bunny hill. Hehe…)

Despite the numerous calls of 'Wedger!' directed at Heero, he managed to pick up the basic concept of skiing quite easily and within a few hours, Trowa declared him fit to move on to a real chairlift.

oOoOo

Turning his head in hope of glimpsing one of his friends, Quatre was unexpectedly pelted with snow. He glared at the one responsible,

"That was completely unnecessary. I have no clue why I ever hang around with you anymore." The blonde skier was only teasing though, after all, if he didn't spend time with Duo, he would have any excitement.

"Ah, Q-ball, you hang around with me 'cause you love me, didn't you know?" this came from the braided boarder who was currently sprawled at Quatre's feet, having fallen there after spraying the other boy with slush.

A quiet hiss of snow announced the presence of their last friend, Wufei and he too was a boarder. The two boarders had been trying to convince Quatre for some time to make the transition to 'the dark side', but the blonde insisted that skiing was more sophisticated and that he would stick with it.

The three had lived nearly in the same house for all their lives, well, they had switched off living at each of their houses when they were young. Now though, they shared a single home and worked together in a little equipment shop in Copper Mountain.

They sold everything there from skis and boards, to lip balm and altitude pills for the stupid tourists who couldn't acclimatize. Recently, they had found themselves short of help and with little free time to enjoy their mountain life so they took advantage of it whenever possible.

All of them were experts on any kind of terrain and as store owners, they had free lift tickets for the season. Even though the easier hills had quickly lost their interest, Wufei had sprained his ankle earlier that week and they took pity on him, sticking to the greens for the day until Duo complained of hunger and they went in for lunch.

oOoOo

Heero, with Trowa's help, had worked his way up into the green hills, where they were currently. He had already fallen many times and was getting sore.

"Can we go in soon?" It wasn't like him to back away from physical pain, but on the other hand, they were going to be doing this for at least a few more months. Heero thought he deserved some leeway.

"Yeah, this'll be our last run." Trowa gestured to t hill before pushing off with his poles and short-swinging down.

Heero sighed and followed his much more skilled friend, determined to keep up.

oOoOo

Luckily the pair had made it down without mishap and Heero was attempting to put his skis and poles into the rack. Trowa just watched, mirth dancing in his eyes.

When he finally accomplished his goal, (the skis had a nasty habit of not sliding together and holding as they were supposed to) the cobalt eyed boy demanded that they go to a lodge or something to get food and warm up, but not before two boards had caught his interest.

They were placed far from each other, almost as if the owners didn't want them close. One was beautiful; the top was black with thorny vines wrapping around it, the opposite side was also black, only with a dark crimson rose. The other board was not nearly as appealing to Heero, although he could guess that some would find it very attractive. This one was pink. Not only was it pink, it had tiny red hibiscus flowers. Now, hibiscus flowers are definitely not native to Colorado, they only grow in the Tropics so this was probably not such a smart design for a _snow_board.

Resolving to find the owners of the two rather- interesting- pieces of equipment, he turned to follow his taller friend inside.

oOoOo

Hate it? You did, didn't you! (begins crying) okay enough of that. But anyway, Copper Mountain is a real place, I spend a few months there every year and I both ski and board. Please review, and guess who the two boards belong to. (it may be rather obvious)

Quick Glossary

(I don't know how much of this slanginess is used by anyone other than me and my friends/family, and if you don't ski or board, you may be rather confused. At the end of each chapter I'll have a little glossary just in case.)

Terrain- this just refers to the snow-type and hill difficulty.

Bunny Hill- a tiny little mound of snow where beginners start.

Wedger- usually used as an insult, it describes someone who has not yet learned to turn with parallel skis, so the skis are in a wedge shape.

Greens- the easiest level of hill. Next are blues and blacks.

The Dark Side- I'm pretty sure no one used this but me, if someone is one the dark side, it just means that they're a snowboarder. And yes, I am proud of being on this side.

Flames accepted and appreciated, if only for me to laugh at.

Join the Dark Side; we have cookies.


	2. Powder Day

The idea for this chapter came nearly six months ago as I sat in my Copper Mountain condo and watched them construct a race/trick course for a snowboard competition. It was insanely big and difficult, and sadly, I wasn't competing so I couldn't give it a go. Even then, I might have broken my neck trying.

This chapter took nearly 5 months to get started. Pathetic, I know. I'll try to start updating regularly now. Also, I wrote this to satisfy my friends who are mad at me for not posting anything in so long.

Pairings: Well, it hasn't really changed…that I know of…(quickly checks notes) nope, no change! It's still a 1x2 get-together fic, and I have officially decided that there will be a bit of 3x4. So hah!

Archived: Only here, and if you'd like it (on my knees and begging) just take it and send me an email so I know where it's going.

Oh, and if you see a () after a word, it means that it has a definition in the glossary at the end.

oOoOo

Description of Copper Mountain:

I had no idea how to work this into the actual fic, so I'll just say it here. Copper is a fairly small winter resort at about eleven thousand feet. The highest lifts go way above twelve thousand feet and there are 10 major lifts in total, the largest of which, seats six people on each chair. The runs range from easy greens to 'extreme terrain' (meaning, if you don't like to jump cliffs, stay away from the extremes). There are three parts of the town; Center Village where all the shops are located (this is where Duo and his group work) with medium hills, the East Village, where most of the locals live with the harder hills (where Duo and his group live), and Union Creek, where the hotels are and really easy hills (Heero and Trowa stay here).

A Snow Bunny's Love, Chapter 2

By Cerulean Waters

The next day, Duo woke his two friends with his maniacal laughing and shouting.

"Yes! 20 full inches! There hasn't been a snow like this all year! Let's see, lifts open at 8:30 'cause it's a weekend, it isn't a holiday, so there'll be a fifteen minute line at the most. So to be the first ones down the mountain we'll need to be out of here in- oh crap. Ten minutes…_Everyone get your butts out here!_"

Since they obviously couldn't sleep through the racket, Quatre and Wufei obliged him. Although they weren't as obsessive about it as Duo, they too would enjoy being the first to touch the new powder.

It was a mad rush to gather all their equipment and clothes inside the small house which was already cluttered. They shared a bedroom and had similar beds done in different colors, Duo had black, Quatre had blue, and Wufei's was white. It was convenient to only have one sleeping room, but it made getting dressed a disaster.

oOoOo

Exactly ten minutes later, the three were assembled at the front door. Duo was clutching his freshly waxed() board which featured a beautiful crimson rose. (A/N: The one from the last chapter.) He had spent several hours the previous day working on getting the polish just right and was rewarded with the beautiful shine that was evident now. Wufei and Quatre had been working in their shop, and so had not had time to attend to their own boards. Both of them regretted it now, when each realized how hard it would be to build up any speed in the thick powdery snow.

They practically sprinted to the Super-Bee lift, which was conveniently located across the street from their house. (It's horribly expensive rent, but worth it) The lift only serviced blacks and tough blues, so it was usually the least crowded of all 26 lifts and the perfect way to start a powder run.

"Hey! Sally's here, we're lucky." Duo exclaimed as the three drew closer to the line.

"Duo, I'm not supposed to let citizens take advantage of my position." Sally said this, but everyone knew that she couldn't deny them anything, for all of them had at their disposal, including Wufei, surprisingly effective puppy-dog eyes.

Sally Po was the medical director for the Copper Ski Patrol(). If there was an emergency, she had to show up, but other than that, she got to cruise the mountain and budge in lift lines. Anyone acquainted with her could budge as well, because, really, who wants to argue with a ski patroller who can bust your arse? Sally had known the boys since they were young and had acted as the older sister that all of them lacked.

Duo stomped his foot onto his grip pad and grabbed Sally's arm, giving her no choice but to pull him along as she made her way to the front of the line. It was always more efficient to mooch a ride off someone, so Duo did it as often as possible. Quatre and Wufei followed, still weary from their early rising.

The lift took less than eleven minutes to reach the peak of the mountain, and eager to board off the powder before others reached the top, the boarders and skier went straight down, not even pausing to speak.

At the beginning of the last stretch though, Sally noticed Quatre watching Duo ride() the moguls().

"He's good isn't he?" She directed the question at him, knowing what he was thinking.

"Yeah, better than us. I think he's getting bored, doing the same thing everyday; he needs something exciting to happen." Quatre smirked.

"Uh oh, you've got that look again."

"What look?" The boy had instantly changed tactics and was now looking up at her innocently.

Sally just snickered and pushed off with her poles, short-swinging() though the bumps.

oOoOo

"It should be nice today. A lot of beginners don't like powder, but it's a cinch." Trowa said, managing to sound both firm and coaxing.

His friend was seriously considering not leaving bed. It would have been unlike him to pass up such a challenge, but then, his legs were so sore, he didn't even want to think about moving them.

Heero groaned, before replying, "We stay on green hills. Understand?"

"Greens and easy blues."

"Good enough." Heero groaned again, and swung his legs out of bed.

oOoOo

The four friends made it to the top of the Eagle lift when Duo insisted that they stop. Someone had set up a small table and was offering tours, along with free cookies, and it was just impossible to resist. That is, the cookies were; none of them were interested in a mountain tour, since they probably knew it better than the guides.

"Alright, let's finish this run, then we'll head over to the Flyer." Wufei was obviously becoming anxious to leave. This may have had something to do with the flocks of teeny children who were currently swarming around the cookie table with Duo.

"Yeah, and if we don't get out of here soon, I'm afraid that Duo's going to regress to five years old again. Besides, I heard that they were building a new park around there." The blonde skier reached out and poked Duo with his pole, silently commanding him to pay attention to where they were going.

Sally chose not to say anything, instead she pushed off and left them behind her in a flurry powdery snow. The other three followed, Duo grumbling a bit to himself as he finished his last cookie.

The construction of a new terrain park was always a point of excitement for Copper locals; in a fairly constant mountain landscape, a park was an ever changing place to test out new skills. Although the construction of the towering jumps, half-pipes and rails could take up to a week, it would be well worth the wait.

oOoOo

Duo adjusted his black cap, the wind was building to such speeds that losing his favorite hat would be a serious possibility. Satisfied with the hat, he strapped his loose foot to his board, straightened his jacket, and hopped slightly to start moving.

Grinning slightly, he dodged a large group of amateur skiers. Not that he had a problem with them, but it did become rather annoying when they plugged up the runs that where much too difficult for them. There had been a time when he, Quatre and Wufei had been like that. As children, they were eager to prove that they could handle anything the mountain had to offer and so had found themselves in more than a few precarious situations.

He leaned further into the hill, his edge cutting into the snow and creating a firmer grip, deep furrows marking his path. He had fallen behind from the group and was going a bit faster than usual to catch up.

Snowboarding had always come easily to him, his amazing sense of balance accentuating natural skill. There was little that Duo loved more than to carve straight down a fall line(), gathering speed until his hair whipped behind and his eyes stung.

Perhaps he should give up his non-competitive policy, Quatre had been insisting that he enter a race for some time now and the idea was starting to seem more appealing.

Lost in his personal musings, Duo failed to notice one of the skiers, originally part of the large group, but obviously at a lower skill level than the rest, fumble slightly in a large snowdrift which lay directly ahead of him. Instead of turning safely to the side, he continued right into the skier, and in a tangle of limbs, skis, poles and a board, they rolled.

Duo looked up, still shocked from the fall, into the face of the imbecile who had caused the painful accident.

oOoOo

That may have been a bad place to stop, I couldn't think of where else to cut it off. **Kaaera** was the only one to correctly guess the owners of both boards. Congrats!

Everyone else, keep trying and also guess who Duo just ran over.

Quick Glossary (again)

Waxed- special waxes are usually applied to the bottoms of skis and boards both to protect them, and to increase speed and grip.

Copper Ski Patrol- basically, a bunch of cool people who get paid to bum around on the mountain and occasionally do something useful.

Ride- a slangy term for the act of snowboarding

Moguls- consistent bumps that will completely cover certain runs

Short-swing- a style of skiing that involves many short quick turns (very difficult in my opinion)

Fall line- a line going down the slope that a skier/boarder will visualize before going down

Thanks to all the reviewers!

**OOMaxwellDemonOo**: You're my hero! I was incredibly excited to find that someone who skis Copper was reading this.

**Scythewing**: You might just get your wish of Heero joining the Dark Side. (wink)

**Ashen Skies**: I was so happy when you reviewed, I love your fics!

I desperately need a reliable beta, say something in a review if you are at all interested..

The Truth: My stilettos may look hot, but they hurt like a bitch.


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